Regionalized police: Past precedent and present barriers

The second in a series by Cliff Lewis

To find evidence of successful regional police departments, one need only look to the national scene, with a number of metropolitan areas consolidating their police forces. From Las Vegas to Savannah, regionalization is becoming a national trend—as Mayor Rick Gray said, “It’s the way things are going.” For the time being, however, it may not be the way things are going for small cities in the State of Pennsylvania.

Elsewhere in the US, now-regionalized departments have reported positive returns, largely from a public safety perspective.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert White told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I sincerely believe we are a better police department because of it.” In 2003, the Louisville department was merged with the surrounding Jefferson County. Since that time, the area has been able to reduce its total number of police department employees while increasing the total number of actual police officers on the street.

In Pennsylvania, most cases of regional consolidation exist in more sparsely populated areas. Where these consolidations have occurred, the results have been positive—often yielding both public safety enhancements and cost savings.

Mike Weiser, Chief Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department, told NewsLanc that regionalization efforts in his area have definitely reduced expenses for the public. As an example, Weiser said, before consolidating in 1991, one borough paid $181,000 in annual police expenses; in 2010, that same borough is paying $212,000. An inflation-adjusted equivalent to the 1991 bill would amount to over $280,000.

Weiser added that the expanded department has helped refine police services: “The more officers you have, the better you can train them and equip them to go out and serve the public.” The Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department serves about 30,000 area residents.

Harry Lewis, Chief of Police of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department, echoed Weiser’s comments on improved services:

“Our officers handle all facets of police work, so we can handle homicides to organized crime conspiracies, including gang enforcement. Our department is more equipped, trained and professional than prior to regionalization. We have the ability to send more officers to training which allows us to be specialized in every aspect of police work.”

Lewis’s department, which began consolidating in 1994, serves about 40,000 residents.

Lancaster’s hypothetical metropolitan police department could serve well over 100,000 residents, according to Mayor Rick Gray. All past precedent for consolidation in Pennsylvania, however, falls far below this figure due to State-level restrictions on police officer pension plans.

According to Ron Stern, a PA local government policy specialist, all regionalized police departments are required by the PA Auditor General to provide an Act 600 pension plan to their officers. Those provisions allotted by Act 600 fall short of those consistent with third class city code. Therefore, small cities would have to downgrade their officers’ pension plans in order to join nearby boroughs in a regional department.

Stern has recommended that the State Legislature reevaluate the Auditor General’s ruling as well as third class city code to allow for productive negotiations in the future.

This current limitation has not stopped community officials in York County from investigating the possibility of a metropolitan department. In an effort headed by YorkCounts, a York-based nonprofit coalition, various municipal leaders are close to authorizing a professional feasibility study to investigate this potential reform. The simple pursuit of this study, however, came with considerable opposition, which will be discussed in a later installment of this series.